The Broken Weekend
by Neuropsych
Summary: (FINISHED) Something's wrong with Jack, and Fraiser needs to figure it out before he drives her and everyone around her crazy. (Rated for possible language) NOT A CAMPERS STORY
1. 01

_Author's Note: This is NOT a Campers! story. This is just a story._

Disclaimer: I don't own SG-1. If I did, things in season 8 would be a lot different, believe me.

_The Broken Weekend_

"Hi, Jack."

O'Neill looked up at Daniel, scowling.

"What do you want?"

Daniel grinned. Sam had been right; Jack was in a foul mood. Even for Jack.

"I thought I'd come by and see if there was anything I could get you."

"You want to do something for me? You can convince Doctor Fraiser there's nothing wrong with me so she'll let me out of here."

"I said _get you_, Jack," Daniel said. "Not _do for you_." He smiled. "Besides, what makes you think she'd listen to me, anyways?"

"She likes you."

"She likes you, too."

"She likes to torment me."

"You do it to her all the time."

O'Neill scowled.

"That's different."

"Uh huh."

"Go away, Daniel."

"You don't need anything?"

"I need out of here."

"Anything else?"

"No. Go away."

"Have a good weekend, Jack." He turned to go and was promptly struck in the back of the head by a flying pillow. Daniel smiled, stooped down and picked the pillow up and handed it to Janet Fraiser, who was coming through the door just then. "That's Colonel O'Neill's."

"I'll give it to him."

"Take your time."

Daniel left the infirmary. At least it hadn't been the water glass or something like that.

Fraiser walked over to Jack, and handed him his pillow.

"How do you feel?"

"Fine. Can I go home, now?"

"No. You're not _fine_, Colonel. If you were fine, you're white blood cell count wouldn't be so high, and you wouldn't be fevered."

"I'm not fevered."

"Why are you sweating, then?"

"Because it's hot in here."

"It's not hot in here, Colonel."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it isn't."

"Yes-"

"Would you like some water? A sponge bath, maybe? Something to help cool you off?" Of course, there were some things that took a bit longer to cool – like O'Neill's temper. Janet wasn't worried, though. She knew she could handle whatever he threw at her. Physically and metaphorically.

"No."

Jack took his pillow back and put it behind his head once more, then pulled his blankets all the way up until they covered his face.

"Colonel..."

"Go away, Doc."

"I need to run some more tests. Once I know what's causing the fever, I'll fix it and you can go home."

"Everyone else got to go home."

"None of them came back from PYR-002 with fevers," Janet said, reasonably. "What did _you_ do that they didn't?" She was still trying to figure out what was causing it, and since she had him talking – even though he was being petulant – she'd take advantage of it while she could.

"I didn't do anything." His voice was muffled by the blankets, but she could understand him well enough.

"Did you eat anything?"

"Yeah, Doc. I make it a habit to walk around munching on bushes and trees on every planet we gate to."

Janet sighed, and shook her head.

"The blood work won't be in for a few more hours, Colonel. I'll keep you informed."

"Whatever."

"Call if there's something you need."

"I want to go home. I had big plans this weekend."

"You can't go home. What you can do is stay here and keep me company."

Jack pulled his blanket down just enough that she could see his eyes. He looked at her.

"You're staying?"

"I'm certainly not going to leave you like this all weekend."

"I'm not-"

"I know. You're not sick. But your body is telling me otherwise. Are you hungry?"

"No."

"Thirsty?"

"No."

"Do you want anything? Besides to go home?"

Jack frowned.

"No."

"Try to get some rest, Colonel. I'll be back to check on you in a few hours."

"I'm not tired."

"Of course not."

He looked tired, though. Just like he looked fevered. Before Janet had even finished checking the IV that was feeding antibiotics into O'Neill's bloodstream, Jack was asleep. Fraiser frowned, and pulled his blankets down just a little, then pressed her stethoscope against his chest and listened to his heart and his breathing. His heart was fine, but his lungs sounded a little congested. Janet covered him back up, then went to report to Hammond.


	2. 02

_Author's note: These chapters are a little shorter than usual, I suppose, but I usually just stop a chapter when it's a good place. So I hope you all will bear with me._

_. . . . . . . . ._

"How is he, Doctor?" Hammond asked when Fraiser walked into the briefing room. Sam, Daniel and Teal'c were there as well, all waiting to hear what was going on with Jack – despite Daniel's earlier banter with the man, they were all concerned.

"His tests are showing high levels of white blood cells, Sir," Janet said, coming over and sitting down, and looking through the chart that she'd carried in with her. A chart that she'd already memorized. "White blood cells are a sure indication of infection, and with the fever he has, it's obvious he has an infection. I'm just not sure what the cause of it is, so I can't do anything but give him a general antibiotic to try and fight it, until the blood test results come back, and hopefully give me a more precise area to concentrate on." She looked over at Sam and Daniel. "Neither of you feel feverish?"

Carter shook her head.

"I feel fine."

"Me, too."

"Did the Colonel do _anything_ the two of you didn't?" She didn't bother to ask Teal'c. The Jaffa had Junior, so even if he'd become infected somehow with whatever it was that was affecting Jack, there'd be no trace of it. His symbiote would have him healthy before the infection had taken hold.

"He hovered a lot," Daniel said, shrugging. "Just like he always does."

Sam nodded her agreement.

"How is he?"

"He's sleeping."

"Really?"

That was a surprise. Daniel had made it sound like Jack was ready to come crashing into the briefing room any minute, demanding to be released from the infirmary to go home.

Janet nodded.

"He didn't eat anything?"

Sam shook her head.

"There wasn't anything to eat."

Daniel nodded his agreement.

"I didn't even have a bug fly in my mouth or anything."

"Were there a lot of insects there?"

"No. No more than anywhere else, and none seemed to be bothering us."

She'd already asked them these questions, so Janet knew the answers, but she'd been hoping that by asking them again, maybe they'd remember something previously forgotten. A small hope with Sam and Daniel, but something she had to try. She looked over at Teal'c, but the Jaffa shook his head.

"I did not observe anything that would explain O'Neill's present condition."

"What are you doing for him, now, Doctor?" Hammond asked.

"I have him on antibiotics, and I'm keeping him hydrated with an IV. The fever is high, but not dangerously so – yet – and I'll retake a white blood cell count in a couple of hours to see if we're gaining any ground on the infection." She shrugged, obviously frustrated. "I'll have to wait for the blood tests before I try anything else."

"A couple of hours, then?"

"Yes, Sir."

Hammond nodded, and sighed. He didn't like what was going on anymore than Fraiser did.

"Keep me informed."

"Yes, Sir."

Hammond stood up and headed for his office. It was two O'clock on a Friday afternoon, and he had a lot of paperwork to finish.

"Can I see him?" Sam asked.

Janet shook her head.

"He needs to sleep, Sam. The more rest he gets, the better, most likely. Besides, if you wake him up, then I'll have to deal with his attitude, and he's very grouchy right now."

Carter smiled, despite herself. No one ever voluntarily offered to deal with O'Neill when he was at his worst.

"Is there anything we can do?" Daniel asked.

"I'm going to do another round of blood work on the two of you – three of you – before you go home for the weekend." Might as well include Teal'c – who knew, maybe something would come up. "Just to make sure your counts are normal, still."

There were nods all around, and the four of them headed back to the infirmary – although not to the isolated room that Jack was resting in, on the off chance that whatever it was that had him down was contagious. Janet was positive it wasn't, but she'd decided that it would be better to minimize the exposure the rest of the staff had to him.

She drew blood from each of them, and then immediately kicked them all out of her infirmary. They had things they needed to get done, after all. Sam always had a doohickey to work on, and Daniel never ran out of things to translate. She had things to do as well.

"You'll call if he wakes up?" Daniel asked, before Sam could.

"Yes."

She shooed them away, and handed the blood samples over to one of the medical technicians so he could take them to be tested. Then she went into back into O'Neill's room.

She stood there looking at him for a long time. His breathing was a little raspy, which was a new development since the last time she'd been in there – a sure sign that whatever the infection was, it was in his lungs, now, as well. A quick listen with her stethoscope confirmed it. They were congested, that was certain. Nothing too serious – again, yet – but she wanted to stop it before it could get that way. But to stop it, she had to know what was causing it.

With a frown, Janet pulled his blanket down to his waist, baring his bare chest and upper body. She put a headlamp on to give her extra light, and pulled a chair in close and sat down. Then she began a methodical search of his skin, starting with his hair and scalp. What she was looking for was a cut that they might have missed, or a scrape, or any kind of wound – however small. If it was the culprit, chances were it'd be red and slightly swollen, but Janet wasn't taking any chances. Anything out of the ordinary would be examined carefully.


	3. 03

Whether it was the discomfort of the fever, the discomfort of the congestion, or if it were Janet's gentle hands on him that woke him, it wasn't clear, but the Doctor about jumped out of her skin when he spoke up.

"Do I _dare_ ask what you're doing?"

She'd finished with his scalp, his entire head, neck and shoulders and had made her way down to his arms and sides. With her hands running gently along his skin as her sharp eyes looked for anything out of the ordinary, no matter how small. She'd been so intent on what she was doing, that she hadn't even noticed his breathing had changed as he'd woken up, and that he'd been watching her for a couple of long moments.

She made a small, surprised noise when he spoke, and looked up at him, blinding him with the headlamp that she'd been using for extra light.

"Ahhh..." He brought his hand up to shield his eyes, and turned his head away.

"Sorry."

Janet turned the light off, and Jack lowered his hand.

"How do you feel?"

There was a slight hesitation, and he scowled.

"Fine."

He didn't look fine. And he didn't sound fine. His voice was raspy, and his face was flushed.

Fraiser frowned.

"I need the truth, Colonel."

"My throat hurts..."

Janet reached for a glass of water.

"Want a drink?"

"Please."

She handed him the glass – which was really a plastic tumbler – and watched as he took a sip. Then another. Jack looked over the rim of the cup and watched her, his brown eyes looking positively miserable, but also questioning.

"So... are you going to tell me what you were doing?"

Fraiser managed not to blush, simply by reminding herself that he hadn't caught her fondling him or anything – she'd been doing an _examination_. A necessary one.

"I'm checking your skin for any kind of small cut or wound of some sort," she told him, taking his empty cup from him and refilling it for him.

"Why?"

"Because the skin is the first layer of protection your body has against infection, and you have an infection. So I'm looking to see if something got past that first layer of protection."

"Like aliens getting through the iris?"

"Exactly."

She always knew he wasn't as dumb as he acted. She turned her light back on, careful to make sure she wasn't looking right at his face so she didn't blind him.

"If I find a spot that looks swollen, or red, or like a puncture wound of some sort, then I'll have a possible source of your infection, and I'll know what's making you so sick."

"Not _so_ sick," Jack protested, unwilling to admit that he wasn't at 100 %. It was one thing to admit to a sore throat, quite another to admit he was really sick. "I could probably go home."

"Not a chance."

"I'd know if I had a puncture wound, Doc..."

"Not necessarily." She told him, her attention once more on his arm, her fingers gently sliding down his forearm. "You don't notice a mosquito bite until it starts to itch, right?"

Jack grunted, forced to admit she was right.

"So you think it's a mosquito?"

"I don't know, Colonel. That's why I'm looking."

"Yeah... well... just out of curiosity, how much _looking_ are you going to be doing?"

Janet grinned; oh if only he'd stayed asleep!

"I'm a doctor."

"A doctor who is going to be doing a lot of looking?"

"Quite a bit of looking," Janet confirmed. "Just try to relax..."

"Oh, yeah... _relax_... no problem..."

She chuckled, softly, understanding completely, but frustrated enough that she wasn't going to let modesty stop her from maybe finding the reason for his illness.

"Want me to put you under?"

"Really? That bad?"

She looked up at him, shrugging.

"It's going to be pretty intimate. You're obviously wiped out, so it wouldn't take much to put you back to sleep." Besides, the rest would do him some good, and Janet could do without having him watching as she worked.

Jack frowned, but he was seriously considering taking her up on her offer. He wasn't all that fond of medications that knocked him out – they tended to make him loopy when he woke up, and he knew it – but he wasn't sure he'd be able to... just lie there.

"Put me out, Doc... my throat hurts..." His _throat_ _hurt_, and it was just as well he wasn't going to have to deal with the pain. Yeah, _that_ was the reason he wanted to be put under; the sore throat. He didn't buy that any more than Fraiser did, but they both agreed silently to accept that.

She turned off the lamp once more, and stood up, walking over to a medical cabinet and pulling out a syringe. A moment later she was injecting it into the IV tube that was leading into the back of his hand. Then she smiled, and patted his shoulder.

"I'm going to go get a cup of coffee while that takes affect."

"Bring me some."

"It'll get cold." Meaning, he'd be asleep before she returned. "How about some more water?"

Jack shrugged.

"That'll work."

She smiled and took his cup from him, filled it up, handed it back.

"I'll be back."

"I'll be here..." he watched as she left, and looked down at his cup. "...for your viewing enjoyment..."

He smiled at his own small wit, but almost immediately felt the drug kicking in. Setting the untouched glass of water on the stand by his bed, Jack closed his eyes and forced himself to relax against his pillow.


	4. 04

_Author's Note: Nah, there won't be a romance between Jack and Janet in this story. _

As it turned out, Fraiser hadn't needed to put him out, after all. She found what she was looking for less than half an hour after returning to his room, a steaming cup of coffee in her hand. Under Jack's watch – which should have been removed, but had been overlooked – she found a very tiny piece of something stuck into his skin. The skin around it was red, but it was almost unnoticeable, and if she hadn't been looking for it specifically, Janet knew she wouldn't have even noticed it.

"_There_ you are..."

She took a pair of tweezers and a small specimen dish and removed the item – which looked like nothing more than a splinter of wood. Then she slathered O'Neill's wrist with antibiotics, and wrapped it tightly. Before she left the room, she ran her hand gently along his forehead and cheek – since he was asleep she didn't have to worry about him grouching about her being concerned – and she allowed a worried look to cross her normally calm face.

Removing the source of the problem was only the first step, but it was a big step. Now she had something to work with. She took her specimen dish and left the room, already thinking of a dozen tests that had to be run on the splinter.

"How is he?"

Sam, Daniel and Teal'c had all been waiting outside the door. When Janet had come from the commissary with her coffee, the three had been getting blood taken by one of the corpsmen. Apparently instead of going home, they'd waited around outside the door for her to reappear. Janet wasn't at all surprised. The calm look was back on her face, now, though. The first rule of being a doctor was make sure everyone knew you were always up to the challenge. If you looked worried, the people around you would worry, and she knew that.

"I found the cause..." She held up the dish.

"So he's getting better?" Daniel asked, looking hopeful.

Janet shook her head. If only it were that simple!

"I have to run tests on this, and see what it is about it that instigated the infection. Once I know that, then I'll have something to work with."

"Is he still fevered?" Sam asked.

Janet nodded.

"His condition is the same. The fever isn't getting worse – that's the good news. The bad news is that his lungs are getting congested, and if that continues we'll have to drain them, and then put him on a respirator. But that's _only_ if things get worse," Janet added, seeing the worried expressions on their faces.

"Can we see him?"

"He's sleeping, Sam." Besides, she didn't want anyone exposed to him any longer than necessary. "You can see him later, okay? When he wakes up."

It was obvious that Carter didn't like that, but Janet didn't give her a chance to argue.

"I need to go take care of this," she said, holding up the specimen. "You three need to clear out of the infirmary. Go get some coffee or something if you're going to stick around. I'll keep you informed of what I find, and I'll let you know when he wakes up." It should be a few hours, at least. Which would give her time to find out a few things of her own.

Without waiting for a reply – mainly because she didn't want to see the worried looks in their eyes any longer – Janet took her splinter and went to the lab. She'd also check and see if the results of O'Neill's latest white blood count were back, which would tell her if their antibiotics were doing any good – or if his own immune system was managing to take control of the infection.

The results were in, but the news wasn't that great. The white cell count was still high. It could have been worse, though, Janet decided, looking at the lab results. He was fighting it, she knew. The count wasn't going _up_ – which showed that the Colonel was at least putting up a fight. Maybe being so stubborn wasn't such a bad thing after all. At least in this instance.

She called one of the corpsmen over, and told her to bump up the antibiotics they were giving O'Neill, and then she got to work.


	5. 05

Yeah, he was sick...

When Jack woke up, next, even he had to admit that he wasn't feeling good. Not something he liked to admit, mind you, but his head was pounding, his whole body ached something terrible, and his throat was dry and scratchy. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to open his eyes, and when he moved his hand up to his face to cover his aching eyes, it hurt to move his arm.

"Sir?"

A soft voice told him he wasn't alone – he hadn't kept his eyes opened long enough to look around – and the corpsman who'd been changing the IV bag had just happened to be there when he woke.

"Where's Fraiser?"

Jack wasn't sure if the man even understood what he'd said. His voice had come out a croaking noise.

"I'll get her, Sir."

He didn't move his hand from in front of his eyes. It was far too bright in this room. He did hear the man leaving, though, and a short time later, he heard the door open again.

"Colonel O'Neill?"

"Doc..."

"Not feeling so hot, huh?" Janet asked, sympathetically. That was obvious, just by the way he was acting, and even with his hand over his face, she could tell by the redness on his chest, belly and neck that he was flushed. This wasn't surprising; in the hours he'd been asleep the fever had started gaining ground once more, and Janet wasn't much closer to figuring out what was wrong.

"No..."

Another croak.

She took a cool damp cloth and slid it along his side – she would have done his face, but his hand was covering it, still. Jack risked moving his hand to look at her, and she moved the towel to his forehead.

"You're fever's worse, Colonel, and your lungs are badly congested. You-"

"Sam? Daniel?"

Janet shook her head.

"They're both fine." Noticing the way he was squinting, Fraiser left his side long enough to go turn the lights in the room down a little. Photosensitivity was another symptom for her to add to the long list of problems, apparently. "I found a very small splinter embedded in your wrist under your watch. As near as I can tell, that's what's making you sick. And you don't appear to be contagious."

"That's good..." At least the others weren't sick. Jack wouldn't wish this on any of the rest of his team. He really felt awful.

"Yes... but I still have to find a way to break your infection, so you're going to have to hang in there a while, and give me time, okay?"

"I'm fine, Doc..." Jack told her. "Take your time."

He wasn't fine, Janet knew, but she appreciated the attempt. She ran the cloth along his cheek and forehead once more, and Jack closed his eyes.

"I'm going to go back to my lab and work on this, if I let you have company, will you try to eat something?"

"I'd drink something..." He was thirsty, but the thought of eating made him feel sicker.

"If you need me, I'll be close by, Colonel."

Jack nodded, and it hurt.

"Thanks, Doc."

.. . . . .. . . .

"You can see him, but don't let him talk too much, okay?"

Sam nodded. She'd been standing by the door to Jack's little room for hours, sometimes with Daniel, or Teal'c – or both – and sometimes alone. When the corpsman had told her Jack was awake, it was all she could do to sneak in and check on him when the man had left to get Janet, but she'd forced herself to wait.

"Is he okay?"

"He's very sick, Sam. Just let him drink as much as he can, and don't let him talk too much. His throat is irritated." Another sign of his immune system trying to fight the infection. "If you need me, I'll be in my lab."

Sam nodded and walked through the door, and Janet went back to her microscope. The little sliver had been coated in some sort of protective sap – microscopic, of course, but that didn't mean it wasn't there – and Janet was certain it was the sap that O'Neill's body was reacting to. If she could just isolate what was in the sap, she'd have a better chance at synthesizing an antibiotic that would work on it – or modifying one of the antibiotics she already had. Either way.

O'Neill had closed his eyes again when Janet left, but they opened when he felt the wet towel once more on his cheek. Only this time it wasn't Janet Fraiser holding it, it was Carter. She gave him a worried smile when he looked up at her, and the hand holding the towel stilled, as if she were uncertain he wanted her to do what she'd been doing.

"Hey..."

Janet had been right; his throat must have been irritated, because his voice was hoarse.

"Hi. How do you feel?"

"Fine."

"Janet says you're going to be out of here in no time."

"Uh huh." Jack risked a quick glance down at himself – just to make sure he was covered – then looked back at her. "She told me that, too."

They were both lying, of course, but trying to reassure the other. Sam bit her lower lip. He looked awful, and she'd already run out of reassurances. She spotted the water glass, and picked it up.

"Are you thirsty?"

"Yeah..."

Since he was situated in a more or less upright position, Sam handed him the glass, knowing it would only annoy him if she tried to help him when he didn't need the help. O'Neill took the cup from her and downed the entire contents gratefully. Not only did the cool – but not cold – water taste better than anything Jack had ever tasted, it also soothed the raw throat a little. He handed the glass back to her.

"Thanks."

"Do you want more? Janet said you could have as much as you wanted."

He shook his head. The water was good, but drinking it was more effort than he wanted to put out. All he really wanted to do was lie still and do nothing.

"I'm good, thanks..."

"Are you hungry?"

"No."

Remembering that Fraiser had told her not to let him talk a lot, Sam fell silent. She did, however, lift the cloth to his cheek once more. When he closed his eyes with a sigh, she took that as a sign he was okay with what she was doing, and she moved the cloth to his other cheek, and then down his neck.

"Feels good?"

Jack nodded, and didn't open his eyes. He could do this forever.

"I'm a little warm..."

That was an understatement. He was burning up. Jack knew it, and Sam knew it. Even though Janet hadn't told her that his fever was worse, she could feel the heat emanating from his body, and as flushed as he was, it had to be worse.

"Then I'll stick around a while, if you don't mind..."

He opened his eyes, and looked over at her. Sam felt a flush of her own reddening her face, and couldn't hide it. Luckily for her, Jack was so miserable he didn't notice it.

"Thanks, Sam... I'd like that."

It was all he said. A moment later he closed his eyes again, and was soon dozing off. Sam smiled, though, despite her worries, and continued to run the cloth along his over-heated body. It was better than just watching him sleep, she supposed, and how often did she get the chance to run her hands along him like this?


	6. 06

"How's he doing?"

Sam looked up and saw that Daniel and Teal'c had joined her in O'Neill's room. She'd long since stopped bathing him with the damp towel, and had claimed the chair next to his bed that Janet had used when she'd been examining him. Her feet were tired from standing outside his room, and she was ready to get off them for a while.

"I'm fine..."

They all looked at Jack, who was lying still with his eyes closed. The faint lines of pain in his expression were the only indication that he wasn't asleep. Sam wondered how long he'd been awake.

Daniel smiled, but it was a worried smile and Sam wasn't fooled for a minute. He was just as worried as she was. Jack didn't look 'fine' at all.

"So much for hanging out at your house and watching the hockey game, huh?"

Jack scowled, and opened his eyes, giving the archeologist a sour look.

"Thanks for reminding me, Daniel."

"Sorry."

"Uh huh." He didn't _look_ sorry.

"How long have you been awake?" Sam asked, resisting the urge to reach out and take his hand. Instead, she reached for the water glass once more and handed it over to him.

"I don't know..." O'Neill shook his head, waving away the water. He was thirsty, but he was tired of drinking water. It made him feel full, which in turn made him feel sick. "I'm not sure I was sleeping..."

Sam was.

"Janet says there was a sliver of some kind in your wrist and that's what's making you sick," Daniel said, coming over and standing on the other side of Jack's bed and looking down at him. "She's working on isolating something or the other so she can..." Daniel trailed off, and shrugged. "... fix you." He'd been paying attention, but sometimes he didn't understand Janet's medical jargon any more than Jack understood his archeological speak.

"Well... great... I can't wait to be... _fixed_..."

"Is there anything we can bring you to make you more comfortable, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked him. He'd been told that they wouldn't all be allowed to stay with Jack; he needed rest and wouldn't get that with the entire team clustered around his bed. Daniel and Teal'c had talked it out and decided to let Sam do all the visiting for them – except for this one visit. Carter was one of the few people Jack would respond to if he were supposed to be doing something – like taking medicine, or sleeping, or whatever. Daniel couldn't bully Jack into doing anything, and Sam sometimes could.

"Nah... I'm good..."

As good as you could be when you felt like shit, and you had tubes and wires attached to you, and machines beeping in your ear in time to your heart.

"We'd better go, then." Daniel said.

Jack normally would have at least _pretended_ he wanted company. He did, after all, _like_ Daniel and Teal'c, and he enjoyed spending time with them. Just then, though, he was really glad they were leaving. His throat hurt and he didn't want to have to make conversation any more than necessary. With only one person – and _any_ one of them; Sam, Teal'c or Daniel – Jack wouldn't feel the need to talk, but with the group hovered over him and looking so concerned, he felt almost forced to reassure them, and the effort of trying to _look_ like he wasn't feeling as bad as he really _was_ feeling was telling. He was dragging.

"Come back anytime," he told them.

"When you're better..." Daniel frowned at just how raspy Jack's voice was, but he didn't comment on it. Obviously, _Jack_ knew how it sounded, and he didn't need Daniel mothering him about it.

O'Neill watched as they left, and looked at Sam, who hadn't moved from her chair. She looked at him, wondering if he wanted her to leave him alone.

"Are you staying?" Jack asked, his eyes unreadable. Normally she'd know if he was teasing her or not just by looking at his eyes, which twinkled happily whenever he had an opportunity to tease. This time, though, they were the mirror to a very fevered and sick soul, and she couldn't read anything in them. She flushed, slightly, unsure of what he wanted, but sure of what she wanted.

"I don't _have_ to... I-"

"If you don't have any plans..."

"I don't..."

"I wouldn't mind the company..."

"I could... stay... awhile." She stammered. "To keep you company."

Jack nodded, and leaned back into his pillows, closing his eyes once more. It hadn't escaped him that this was a little like the time they'd been sent accidentally to that ice cave in Antarctica. She was worried about him, he knew, and again there wasn't anything she could do for him, and here he was... trying to figure out a way to keep her from worrying about her. Nothing was coming to mind, though.

"At least I'm not freezing to death..." he murmured, softly, to himself.

"What?"

He opened his eyes, and shook his head.

"Nothing, Sam... I was just... thinking out loud..."

She gave him a worried look and reached out and pulled his blankets up a little, thinking that he'd said something about freezing.

"Are you cold?"

"No..." He caught her hand – he didn't want her covering him up, it was too hot for that – and gave it a light squeeze. "I'm fine, Sam..." he whispered, closing his eyes, and not releasing his grip on her. Whispering didn't hurt as much as talking. "I'll _be_ fine... Don't worry, okay?"

"I'm not worried..."

Jack nodded. They both knew she wasn't being completely honest, but he'd never call her on it. He squeezed her hand once more, realized what he was doing, and released it. No matter how crappy he felt, he had no right to take advantage of her concern, and he knew it.

Sam sighed, and settled back in her chair, waiting to see if he wanted to talk, or if he was going to go back to sleep. He was asleep in only a few minutes.


	7. 07

_Author's Note: Just so you all know, I'm not going to start my next campers! story until this story is finished, since the next story in the campers! saga is going to include quite a bit of Janet Fraiser, and this story obviously does, as well, and I don't want to write two stories about the same person at the same time... it's too hard for me to keep them separate... I'm writing this one as fast as I can, though, so it shouldn't be too long. Keep up the reviews so i know what you like and what you don't!_

It was late when Janet came back to O'Neill's room. She needed another blood sample from him, and she needed a break from the microscope she'd been looking in for the last several hours. She wasn't the only one; her research staff was working feverishly – no pun intended – to figure out the sap from the sliver of wood she'd pulled out of Jack's wrist. Unfortunately, all they knew so far was that it wasn't anything any of them had ever seen before, and that it had a property in it that caused it to change as it invaded O'Neill's body – meaning as he was developing a defense to it, building antigens to the bacteria, the bacteria – or virus, they hadn't quite decided yet how to classify it – was changing as well. It was bad, Janet knew. As bad as it could get.

Sam was asleep in the chair next to Jack's bed, and Janet set her equipment down on the stand beside the bed and rested her hand gently on the other woman's shoulder, shaking her gently.

"Sam..."

She came awake almost immediately, her eyes going to the bed and then up at Janet when she realized it wasn't Jack that had woken her.

"Janet? How is he?"

"He's asleep. Go find yourself a bed to sleep in." She couldn't let her stay.

"I'm not tired."

"Sam... go. If something changes I'll let you know."

Carter looked like she wanted to argue, but Fraiser didn't really give her much of a chance to. She pulled Sam gently to her feet, giving her as reassuring a smile as she could – which wasn't much and even Carter knew it was forced. She yawned, and stretched, wondering how Janet could look so awake and alert when she, herself, felt exhausted.

"Did you figure it out, yet?"

"Not yet, but I will."

"What is it?"

"Something like the flu... I'm not positive, yet. I need to run more tests. You can sleep on the cot in my office if you don't want to go too far, although it's not that comfortable." Janet knew; she'd slept on it plenty of times.

"Where's Cassie?"

"She's staying with a neighbor. Nothing new."

"You'll call me?"

"As soon as I know something."

Sam nodded.

"I'll be in your office..."

Janet nodded as well, and shooed her out of the room. Then she walked over to O'Neill's side, and checked the machines that were hooked up to him, monitoring his progress. His fever was worse, and it was reaching dangerous levels, so she called in a corpsman, and she and the Lieutenant packed ice packs around him in a few key spots – groin, armpits, neck and along his sides. Then she told the lieutenant that she wanted them changed continuously to keep the cold constant. With the icepacks wrapped in heavy cloths there was no danger from the constant exposure, and it was definitely necessary. Jack's temperature dropped two degrees almost immediately, and he even shivered.

She put the back of her against his cheek, which was sheened with sweat and hot to the touch. He roused, either from the sudden change in temperature – which probably wasn't that comfortable for him – or from her touch, and his eyes opened.

"Sam?"

"I sent her to bed, Colonel," Janet told him softly, giving him a chance to take in his surroundings. She knew all the medication they were pumping into him was going to make him a little slower than normal, and she made sure to speak slowly.

He looked up at her, and she knew then that he knew whatever was wrong with him was bad. Whether it was something he read in her own expression, or if he just knew from the way he felt, she could see in his eyes that he knew.

"I'm not getting better, am I?" His voice was a whisper.

She forced a smile, reverting to her regular bedside manner, and took his hand.

"You're going to be fine, Colonel. Just hang in there, okay?" If he thought it was hopeless, he'd give up, and she needed to be able to rely on that indomitable spirit she'd seen so many times before. If he gave up, he was as good as dead, and she knew it.

He knew she was lying. Jack was better at reading people than anyone suspected, and Janet Fraiser was not as sure as she was trying to sound. But he didn't want her to worry about him – she already looked as tired as he felt, and there was no need to add to her burden – so he nodded, and squeezed her hand.

"You got it, Doc..."

"Good."

She smiled down at him again, and this one wasn't quite so forced.

"I'm going to take some blood samples."

"If you keep taking it, I'm not going to have any left..."

"I'll ration myself."

It was his turn to smile, and his tired eyes were searching as he studied her.

"You look tired, Doc... maybe you should take the rest of the night off."

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Don't worry about me."

"Worry? Me?"

"Uh huh." She let his hand go, feeling refreshed just by talking to him. If he could joke, she wasn't as worried as she might have been. Of course, it didn't mean he was any healthier than he'd been when she'd walked in the room, but at least he was trying. "I have work to do. Take your own advice, and get some rest, Colonel."

"I'm not tired."

Yeah, which was why his eyelids seemed to be drooping already.

"Want me to tell you a bedtime story?"

Jack's smile turned into a grin.

"Nah... want me to keep you company while you work?"

"It'd bore you to tears."

"I'm cold."

She nodded.

"We're trying to keep your fever down with ice."

"I don't like ice..."

"I know." She _did_ know, too. He hated being cold, and had ever since he'd almost frozen to death in Antarctica. They hadn't spoken of it, but she'd noticed the change. She was just as perceptive as he was, whether he knew it or not. She picked up her blood drawing kit and with quick, practiced, moves she took a small vial of his blood.

"Vampire..."

Janet smiled.

"Go back to sleep, Colonel."


	8. 08

He didn't sleep. He couldn't. Not that he wasn't tired, because he was, but he was cold – even though he was also hot – and he couldn't sleep when he was cold like that. When Janet left with the blood sample to continue her tests and studies, Jack was still awake, although his eyes were closed. When they changed the icepacks, Jack shivered and they tried to warm him up with a couple of extra blankets. It didn't help. He wasn't freezing, but he was psychologically bothered and feeling too miserable to be able to force himself past that like he normally would have. So, he didn't sleep. He stayed awake and listened to the heart monitor beeping, watched as an occasional corpsman came in and checked on his assorted tubes and wires, and tried to ignore just how awful he felt.

&&

He wasn't the only one not sleeping, though. Elsewhere in the infirmary, Janet Fraiser and a growing number of microbiologists, xenobiologists and viriologists were studying slides and samples, adding genes to different antibiotics and watching how they reacted to a synthesized sample of the sap that had been taken off the sliver from O'Neill's wrist. They were looking for the one combination in what appeared to be a million that might wipe out the microbe that was attacking his immune system, but as the night stretched into morning there was still little progress. Even with all the doctors working on it – and Janet had pulled in every specialist she knew that was in the area – they were searching for a needle in a haystack, and it was going to take time.

&&

"How is it going, Doctor?"

Hammond had spent the night on base. He'd been hoping that he'd receive a call in the middle of the night from Fraiser, telling him that they'd made progress and that Colonel O'Neill was on his way to recovery. He'd dozed at his desk, and had finally stretched out on the sofa in his office, unwilling to leave the base with his second in command so ill. Janet hadn't called, and Hammond had forced himself to wait as long as possible before coming down to see how things were progressing. Finally, though, when the clock on his wall read a little after 6:00, he'd tossed back the throw blanket he'd been using as a cover, and had headed for the infirmary.

Janet shook her head. She was beat, and it showed. Her eyes were tired from focusing on the microscope all night, and her head was pounding.

"We're still looking, Sir." She told him, holding up a result from the latest round of tests they'd performed on the microbe. (She still wasn't ready to call it a virus, and still wasn't convinced it was a bacterium) "We know we're going in the right direction – the last set of tests showed a slight reduction in the rate of growth of the microbe when we tested it against a type 'D' antigen, but it wasn't much, and the side affects to Colonel O'Neill if we tried that would possibly kill him, so there are a few changes we'll need to make before we can try it again – and even more tests before we dare try to actually use it on him."

"How's he doing?" Hammond hadn't understood much of what she'd just said, but he trusted her, and if she said they needed more time, then he knew she needed more time.

Janet looked at the newest results from blood work, and the latest copy of O'Neill's chart – from about an hour before.

"His fever's still high, and his lungs are congested, which is making his breathing rough and painful – if that continues as it is, he'll be all right, but if it gets much worse, we'll have to put him on a respirator – which we don't want to do if we can avoid it. His other organs seem to be fine, which is a surprise, and makes us believe what we're dealing with is a microbe that attacks only the respiratory system – the fever and other complaints from Colonel O'Neill are simply a by-product of his own immune system trying to fight the infection off on its own."

"Will he be able to?"

"Fight it off without intervention?" Janet asked, making sure she understood the question.

"Yes."

Janet shook her head.

"Right now we're pumping him full of antibiotics – the strongest that we have at our disposal. They're helping him, but only enough to keep the infection at manageable levels. If the microbe attacking him develops a resistance to those antibiotics – and it's possible that it will if we don't beat it down quickly – then we're not going to be able to help him at all, and he's going to get worse. His best hope is that we find a way to kill it ourselves, and save his immune system the effort."

"How long would it take for the... microbe to develop immunity?"

"A week, a few days... I'm not really sure. It depends on how quickly it adapts."

"Have you had a chance to judge that?"

Janet nodded, looking at her results again.

"I'd say we have a few days until our own antibiotics are useless against this thing. Nowhere near a week. There's just no way."

Her frustration was obvious. Janet wanted a quick fix to this thing, and she wasn't finding it.

"You need to get some rest, Doctor." Hammond told her.

"I can't, Sir. I need to-"

"You'll think better if you get some sleep," he reasoned.

"I-"

"That's an order. You can leave it to the rest of the staff long enough for you to sleep for a few hours. You said we have a couple of days before the thing gets out of control, and I'd rather have you working on it fresh than have you miss something because of fatigue."

"Sir-"

"Doctor. I want you out of the infirmary for 4 hours. Go to one of the VIP quarters and get some rest, then get something to eat, and come back and start on it again when you're looking a little less frazzled."

Janet scowled, but there wasn't really much she could do – short of disobeying the direct order. Besides, she knew he was probably right. It wouldn't kill her to take a quick break, and maybe even get some sleep.

"Yes, Sir."

Hammond left, heading for the locker room so he could get a shower and change into a fresh uniform before the base personnel started showing up for their shifts. It wouldn't do for them to see him looking worried and rumpled, after all.

Fraiser watched him leave, then handed her lab results and charts over to her own second in command, who'd just come in to start his shift an hour before and was therefore far more awake than she was.

"I'm going to go check on Colonel O'Neill, then I'm going to find a place to hole up and sleep for a while," she told him, rubbing her face tiredly. "If anything happens, I want you to call me, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

She nodded, and left the lab, walking past her office, where she could just barely see Sam Carter sprawled on the cot in the corner of the room. She sighed, and went to O'Neill's room, letting herself in and closing the door behind her.

He opened his eyes the moment he heard the door close, and looked over at her as she walked over.

"Hey..." His voice was still a whisper, but he tried for a smile, and she returned it, although hers was just as forced.

"Good morning," she said, checking his monitor out of habit. His temperature was still high but the icepacks were keeping it low enough that there wasn't a danger of him developing complications to his organs because of it. "Have you slept?"

"Sure..."

The way he said it, she knew he was lying, and she frowned.

"Colonel, you _need_ to try and rest. It's the best thing you can do for yourself." He looked exhausted.

"I know."

"Why aren't you?"

"Have _you_ had any sleep?" He was so _good_ at changing the subject.

Janet frowned, and rested her hand on his cheek. He was covered with blankets, but she could feel a tremor run through him as he shivered. Whether from cold or just reaction, she wasn't sure.

"Are you cold still?"

"I'm fine, Doc. You didn't answer my question."

"I'm on my way to get some sleep right now. Are you hungry?"

He shook his head.

"Thirsty?"

"Nah... it makes me sick..."

"Maybe you could drink something besides water? Juice?"

She actually saw him turn a little green around the gills at the thought of something as sweet as fruit juice in his stomach just then. He shook his head.

"I'll be back in a while, Colonel," Janet told him, running her hand along his arm, and checking the icepacks – again. "If you need anything, call for me."

"I will." He _wouldn't_. He'd let her alone so she could sleep, and they both knew it.

Janet hesitated, and Jack raised his hand, tiredly, and waved her away.

"Go, Doc... I'm fine... I'll try to sleep while you're gone."

She nodded, and left the room. Jack watched her go, then sighed, and looked around him – again. He hated this room. He hated being sick, and he hated how worried everyone was looking when they looked at him. They had better things to worry about than him.


	9. 09

Daniel had spent the evening in Teal'c's quarters. He hadn't slept much, and he knew Teal'c hadn't, either, but it was a good place to be out of the way, and yet still be close enough that he could come running in the event that something happened. Nothing had. Sometime around 7:00, Teal'c had entered Kelnoreem, and Daniel had decided to go for a walk. A walk that put him outside the infirmary.

He entered hesitantly, looking around for Janet – who'd probably kick him out, but would at least give him an update on whatever was going on. She wasn't anywhere in sight, and when Daniel peeked into her office, he found Sam sleeping on a cot in the corner that Daniel knew Janet used frequently when things were so hectic that she couldn't go home. Carter was sleeping restlessly, but Daniel didn't wake her up. She probably had been up late, sitting with Jack, and she needed her rest. He turned and headed for the little room off to the side, figuring if Janet wasn't there, and no one else was, either, he'd pop in and see how Jack looked.

There wasn't anyone there, just the lone figure sleeping on the bed – although Jack turned his head when Daniel opened the door, so he _wasn't_ sleeping. The room was dimly lit because Jack's eyes were sensitive to light, but Daniel could see clearly that his friend was very ill, and getting worse.

"Hey, Jack..." He closed the door and walked over, hesitantly, expecting someone to come kick him out at any moment.

"Daniel."

"How do you feel?"

"Ducky."

Jack was whispering. Daniel wondered if his voice was gone, or if it just hurt Jack to talk and he was getting around that by not using his vocal cords as much.

"You look..."

Jack sighed.

"... like shit..."

"I _feel_ like shit," O'Neill told him, a partial smile coming to his face. At least Daniel hadn't said he was looking better. Jack _knew_ he didn't look better.

"What are these things?" Daniel asked, running his hand along the icepacks that were placed on either side of Jack's neck. They were covered in towels, so he couldn't really tell, until he touched them. Then he realized how cold they were. He frowned.

"Ice packs. To cool off my fever, they tell me."

"Is it working?"

Jack shrugged.

"It's cold."

"Are you still fevered?"

"Do I like a doctor?"

"Do you feel hot?"

He looked cold.

"I feel..." Jack trailed off, and shrugged again. "No. I'm cold. But every now and then I feel warm, too, so I suppose they're necessary."

"How can you sleep like that?" Daniel knew how much Jack hated to be cold. He also understood then why there were so many blankets piled on his friend. Jack was cold, but the fever wasn't down – Daniel could see he was flushed. It had to be quite the conundrum, trying to keep him cold and warm at the same time.

"I can't."

"Ah."

Which explained why he was awake.

"Where's Carter?"

"Sleeping in Janet's office. Teal'c's in his quarters. I expect they'll both be along, eventually."

Jack nodded.

Daniel hesitated.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

He was fairly certain Jack was going to ask to be let out of bed – something Daniel obviously couldn't do – or ask for something equally impossible.

"No."

That was better than the explosion he'd expected, Daniel thought. Then he changed his mind. He'd have _preferred_ the explosion over the look in Jack's eyes. A look he wasn't trying to hide. Jack was depressed – or maybe he'd given up – Daniel wasn't sure. Whatever it was, there was a spark missing that worried Daniel more than the flushed skin and all the wires.

"Are you okay, Jack?" Daniel had never been one to hide his concerns.

"I'm fine, Daniel."

"You look a little... um... down."

Jack shrugged. Daniel was too perceptive for Jack's comfort, because that was exactly how O'Neill had been feeling just then. Down, or depressed, or just plain sorry for himself. Yeah, sorry for himself was a good word for it. He knew part of it was that he was really tired, and when Jack got tired, he got moody. That was when everything that ever went bad started reminding him just how bad his life was. Normally, of course, Jack smothered those negative thoughts – usually under sarcasm or banter – but he couldn't summon enough energy to do it this time. And Daniel was looking worried, so Jack knew he probably wouldn't participate in banter anyways. Not that Jack hadn't tried. It'd just fizzled.

"I'm tired, that's all. And my throat hurts..."

"What'd Janet tell you?"

"What'd she tell _you_?" Jack asked.

"I haven't talked to her."

"She's supposed to be off resting somewhere."

"What did she tell you?"

"I'm sick."

"That's it?"

"I'm _very_ sick..."

Daniel saw a shiver run through Jack's body, even under all the blankets. He reached over and tucked the corner of one of the blankets in under the icepacks running along O'Neill's side. Even while he did it, he recognized the futility. How was he going to be warmed by a blanket when he was tucking the icepack even closer? Jack saw the irony as well, and there was another ghost of a smile.

"It's the thought that counts, Daniel..."

"There must be a better way to keep your fever down..."

"I'm assuming there isn't." Jack was heartily tired of Daniel's mothering already, and decided to send him away without hurting his feelings.

"Would you do me a favor and bring me something to eat?"

"Sure. What?"

"Toast. And a paper, or something to read. I'm bored."

The archeologist stood up, fairly certain Jack didn't want any toast or something to read. Not in the dimly lit room, but he was willing to play along.

"I'll be right back."

"Take your time."

Yeah, _that_ was the clue. Daniel nodded, but he didn't feel hurt by the expulsion. He knew that if Jack had wanted to be a bastard, he'd just have kicked him out – like he had earlier the day before. This way was much nicer, and it concerned Daniel far more. He must really be down to be so nice about things. Maybe Daniel would see if Sam would wake up and talk to Jack. She could cheer him up better than anyone.

He left the room, and Jack sighed as the door closed. Daniel hadn't been fooled. Jack could tell by the look of comprehension on his friend's face. Ah, well... at least he was gone. Jack looked around the empty room again.

"_Yay_..."


	10. 10

"Sam?"

Carter was awake immediately. She hadn't been sleeping all that well, anyways, and the moment Daniel's hand touched her shoulder, she opened her eyes and sat up.

"Daniel? What's wrong?"

She saw he'd brought in a tray with a newspaper and toast – with a side order of jelly. Sam didn't like jelly on her toast. Daniel knew that.

"Nothing..." Daniel reassured her, quickly. Then he amended that. "Actually, something is, but I was hoping you could fix it."

"What are you talking about?" She'd just woken up, after all, and he was being obtuse.

"It's Jack."

She was immediately concerned.

"Is he worse?"

"No. The doctors I talked to say he's holding his own..."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I don't know. I think he'd depressed. Or maybe he's just tired... I'm not sure, but there's something wrong with him, and I was hoping you could get him to talk to you about it and maybe cheer him up."

"Me?"

"God knows when I tried, it didn't work."

"He kicked you out?"

"He sent me to get him some toast and a newspaper."

"That doesn't sound so bad..."

Daniel shrugged.

"Maybe I'm seeing something that isn't there. Why don't you take him the tray and see if it's just my imagination?"

Sam nodded, knowing that Daniel wouldn't have asked if he weren't truly worried.

"Sure, Daniel." She looked at the tray. "Did Janet say he could eat?"

"She's asleep. Doctor Bastion said he could, though."

"Okay."

Sam was glad to hear Janet had taken a break. Of course, she felt a little guilty that she'd been sleeping in her bed, though, which had probably sent Janet off somewhere else to find a different bed to sleep in.

"I'll be here," Daniel told her, plopping down at Janet's desk.

"You could come..."

"No. He can only have one visitor at a time. I'll check on him again later, once you talk to him."

She nodded, and picked up the tray and headed for Jack's little room.

&&

He turned his head when he heard the soft knock on the door. Sam smiled brightly when she entered his room, trying to ignore how tired he looked.

"Good morning."

"Hi, Sam..." He saw the tray, complete with toast and newspaper, and knew right away that Daniel had sent her to talk to him. He should have been annoyed, but Jack knew that Daniel was worried and had been when he'd left. How could you be annoyed about a friend caring enough to send someone in to make sure you were okay?

"I brought you some breakfast..." She looked down at the toast, and knew he was used to a lot more. "Sort of."

Jack's smile was tired, but it was genuine.

"Toast?"

Sam nodded.

"That's fine. I doubt I could eat much more than that."

Technically, he wasn't sure he'd be able to eat that and keep it down, but he was going to try, simply to keep her from worrying.

"There's jelly..."

"Ugh..." No, _that_ he couldn't do.

Sam smiled, and settled the tray on his lap.

"Or not."

He picked up a slice of toast, ignoring the paper. His head ached, and he really didn't feel like trying to read the paper in a dimly lit room.

"Did you sleep?" He asked her.

Sam nodded.

"Did you?"

"A little."

She reached out and touched his cheek. Still hot. Of course, he was covered in blankets, so that probably had something to do with it. She noticed the towels that were packed around his neck, but didn't ask what they were.

"Are you too warm?"

He shook his head, his hand coming up to take hers.

"If anything, I'm cold."

His hand was cold.

"Maybe a cup of coffee?"

"Nah, I'm fine, Sam..."

"Fine?"

"Well... sort of fine."

"You look tired."

"Yeah... I'm having trouble sleeping," he admitted.

"Why?"

He shrugged.

Sam knew there was more to it than that. She frowned.

"Jack?"

He sighed. What the hell? He might as well tell her, huh?

"They've put icepacks around me to keep the fever down... it's... uncomfortable."

"It's bringing back memories better forgotten?" Sam asked, gently, rubbing his hand with hers, trying to warm it.

"Yeah..." Jack shrugged, trying to make it sound like it was no big deal. "If this thing gets the better of me... I'd just rather _not_ be cold, you know?"

"It's not going to-"

"I'm not giving up, Sam," he told her, interrupting, and holding her hand still. "I'm just trying to explain-"

"I understand..." She moved from the chair she'd seated herself in, and sat on the edge of his bed. She could feel the cold from the icepack under the blanket, now, resting against her hip. "Does my presence bring back those memories, too? Would you rest better if I left?"

"God, no..." He sighed. "You were all that got me through, you know..."

"Nah... you didn't give up," Sam told him. "That's what got you through. It'll get you through this, too. You hang on until Janet finds the solution."

"Will you stay with me?"

"As much as I can." She assured him. "As long as you stay with me. Deal?"

He nodded.

"Good. Now, try to eat something, okay? The doctors are saying you'll feel better if you get something in your stomach."

"I doubt that."

He took a bite of the toast, though, just because she'd asked him to. It was only fair, after all; she was keeping him company, he could try to eat something for her.


	11. 11

There's a reason for the phrase 'sleep on it'. Tons of people have found that if they go to bed with a problem, the solution will come to them in their sleep. Not because they're magical people, of course, and the answer was sent to them with a wave of the hand or proverbial magic wand, but because while they sleep their subconscious mind has a chance to take over from their conscious mind and sort through the problem using memories and experiences that the person might have had sometime in their life but had forgotten about. The information is still there, of course, it's just a matter of accessing something that is possibly long since buried under a pile of other memories or experiences. The conscious mind doesn't dig through memories nearly as well as the subconscious mind does.

This is true in pretty much everyone, and no less true for Janet Fraiser. While she slept, her mind was on the same problem it had been wrestling with when she'd tumbled into the VIP bed, exhausted and worn out, but still troubled.

_"It's simple, Janet,"_ Her instructor – a hapless but brilliant soul whose name had been James Robert Grent. The moment his students had found out the easy-going professor's name, he'd instantly become 'Jim Bob' to them all – including one very young second year med student named Janet Fraiser_. "All you have to remember when it comes to dealing with the unknown illnesses is that somewhere out there, there's something that will defeat it. Usually all you need to do is look at the source of the illness – where did it come from, for instance – and ask yourself why does this plant or animal need to produce a defense in the form of a bacterium in the first place. Find out what kills the animal, you'll find out what will kill the bacterium. Not always the same with viruses, but if you're ever facing something you've never seen before – and let's hope you never do – it's the best place to start."_

That sparked her subconscious mind once more, and ideas and suggestions flowed from there. She needed to go to the source of the problem – no _she_ couldn't do that, and she couldn't send anyone else. PYR-002 was officially off-limits to all SGC personnel. They couldn't risk anyone else coming down with whatever it was that had dropped O'Neill so quickly and efficiently. She couldn't go to the source.

_She_ couldn't, her subconscious mind told her, but what if there was someone who _could_? Someone they didn't have to worry would catch the illness, no matter how many little slivers attached to him?

There wasn't.

There _was_.

_Teal'c._

They'd searched him, much as they'd searched O'Neill. Once Janet had known what to look for, she'd had Teal'c checked just as thoroughly as she'd checked Jack O'Neill. The Jaffa had undergone the examination willingly since he'd hoped that it would prove to be some use for the medics who were researching the illness. They'd found several slivers embedded in his skin, and Teal'c hadn't fallen ill. Junior was obviously responsible for the protection from illness, which meant they couldn't do the same for Jack – who'd never accept a symbiote even to save his life – but it did mean that they had someone who could go back to the planet. Someone who could retrace their steps and hopefully find the plant that the sliver had come from, and _even better_, find an animal or insect that was eating or grazing on this plant. Find an animal that could safely eat the plant, and they'd probably find an animal with a built-in immunity to the bacterium – if it _was_ a bacterium.

Find the built-in immunity, and you'd find the beginnings of an antidote to the illness.

Janet's eyes flew open, and she sat up in the bed so quickly she almost fell out of it. She looked at her watch – she'd been asleep almost 5 hours! Five wasted hours in which she could have already sent Teal'c on his way!

"Damn it!"

No. _Not wasted_. She'd forgotten completely about Jim Bob. So many other instructors had come and gone, so many other life experiences... Janet knew she'd never have thought of going back to the planet without having first thought of that initial conversation she'd had with one of her first instructors.

She was down the hall in an instant, heading for the infirmary and calling a passing Airman to find Teal'c and ask him to join her there. The soldier took off at a run, knowing Janet wouldn't have ordered it for no reason, and Janet stopped just long enough at a bathroom to take care of personal needs and make sure she didn't look like she'd just woken up – which would never do. Then she entered the infirmary, and headed for Jack O'Neill's room.

&&

Sam looked up when the door opened, and she felt slightly relieved when she saw Janet. Carter was still sitting on the edge of Jack's bed, and she was still holding his hand, but she was more worried than she'd been earlier. He'd fallen asleep, but his breathing was ragged and hoarse, and she thought that even with the fresh icepacks that had been placed around his body only five or ten minutes before, he seemed to be warmer.

"Sam, how's he doing?"

Janet walked over; motioning for Carter to move so she could take her place, which Sam did willingly. Fraiser took his hand, checked his eyes and frowned when she looked over at the monitor and saw his temperature was rising. She checked his chart to see if the icepacks were fresh, found that they were, and put her stethoscope to O'Neill's chest to check his breathing.

"He's worse, isn't he?" Sam asked.

"Hush, I'm listening."

She had already heard what she needed to hear, though. The elation she'd felt when she'd woken up was tempered by the fact that the bacterium was wearing out O'Neill's immune system faster than Janet had expected. Sam was right; he was getting worse. Was _already_ worse. The fever was too high for safety and the congestion in his lungs was far more pronounced than it had been, which was recognizable in the rough breathing Janet had heard the moment she walked in. She looked over at Sam, who looked panicked, and was quick to reassure as much as she could.

"He's worse, but it's not critical yet, Sam." She pulled the blankets from O'Neill's body and called a couple of corpsmen into the room. "I want him in an ice bath. Twenty minutes in, fifteen minutes out. Keep doing it until I tell you to stop."

"Yes, ma'am."

One hurried off to get a portable tub; the other started oiling Jack to keep the ice from having direct contact to skin, which would cause frostbite far too quickly.

"An ice bath?" Sam asked.

"It'll keep the fever down. He's really getting too warm to avoid it, Sam."

"He won't like that."

"Better he's upset than too hot."

Sam nodded. She wasn't a medical doctor, but she knew the dangers of too high a fever.

"I've got an idea," Janet told her, trying to take her mind off what was happening. "I've sent for Teal'c-"

She was interrupted by the arrival at the door of Teal'c and Daniel, both. Daniel had been dozing at Janet's desk, but had woken just in time to see the Jaffa walking past the door with such a purpose to his steps that he'd jumped to his feet and followed.

"I am here, Doctor Fraiser."

She nodded, and glanced over at the bed. They didn't need to watch this. With a wave, she gestured for them all to leave the room.

"Come with me, please. I have a plan, and I only want to explain it once."

With that, she led them out of the room, and towards the door. To only explain it once meant finding Hammond and explaining it to him, as well, since he'd be the one to authorize Teal'c's trip through the gate.

Curious, and a little hopeful, since it was the first time Janet hadn't looked quite so frustrated, the three followed her.


	12. 12

"So you think there's a possibility that Teal'c might be able to find a cure for Colonel O'Neill back on PYR-002?"

Fraiser shook her head. They were all in the briefing room, and she was standing, explaining to the others what she had in mind. Daniel and Sam looked hopeful, Teal'c was expressionless- but he was always looking like that, and Hammond looked just a little skeptical. Of course, he wasn't a doctor, so he was just making sure he understood what she was telling them.

"I think it's possible that if Teal'c can find something that can survive on the plant that the slivers came from."

"If he can find the plant..."

She nodded.

"I can retrace my steps and find the plant," Teal'c said, confidently. Of course, everything he said, he said confidently, but this was different, and they all knew it.

"If you find the plant," Janet said, "You need to watch it, and see what eats it – if anything, and see if you can bring me a specimen. Alive, preferably."

"I can do that."

"I could go with him," Daniel offered. "With two of us looking it-"

"You can't." Hammond interrupted. "I won't risk another person to this... illness. The only reason I'm letting Teal'c go is because he's already proven himself to be immune to it."

Which told Janet that the General had already decided to allow Teal'c to go.

"I'll provide you with several containers of different sizes," she told him. "If it turns out that you come upon a creature that is too large – or dangerous – to bring back, then just try to obtain a blood sample. Any antigens will be in the blood."

Teal'c gave her a small nod, and Hammond shrugged looked at Fraiser.

"Is there anything else you'll need?"

"No, Sir."

"Teal'c, you have a go, just make sure you're careful. Just because you're immune to whatever it is that Colonel O'Neill has, doesn't mean you can't be injured, and I don't dare send backup with you."

"I understand General," Teal'c told him. "I will be careful."

Hammond nodded, and stood up, effectively dismissing them all.

"Gather what you need from supply, and we'll meet you in the embarkation room as soon as you're ready."

Teal'c nodded again, and Hammond went into his office, while Daniel went with Teal'c to help him get supplied –although he didn't need help – and Sam walked back to the infirmary with Janet.

&&

Janet went in with Sam to Jack's room, but she had no intention of staying. If Teal'c failed to find anything that might be of help on the planet, Janet still needed to work on her own research – which would still come in handy if Teal'c did manage to bring something back with him. The more she knew about the bacterium – she refused to call it a virus – the better. And she hadn't given up on finding her own solution – although she was pretty sure she had a better chance with Teal'c's help.

Surprising neither of them, Jack was awake. Of course he was. The moment he'd been submersed into the ice bath, the cold would have woken him from his less than sound sleep. He was up to his neck in the icy water, and being carefully monitored by a pair of corpsmen. One was watching the clock, the other was watching his vitals on the monitor, and making sure his temperature didn't drop below a certain point. They wanted the fever down, but they didn't want him to become hypothermic.

All three men looked over when Sam and Janet walked in, and Carter could have cried when she saw the haunted look in Jack's eyes. She knew immediately what was wrong. Sam had broken their bargain and left him alone, and when he'd woken up – as they were putting him in the icy water – he'd been even colder than before.

She went over and knelt next to the low-slung bath, reached into the water and pulled out his hand while Janet checked his stats. He was shivering and flushed at the same time. Carter was fairly certain the shivering was all reaction and not because of the temperature of his body.

"I'm sorry..." Sam whispered. "I won't leave you again."

"You're temperature's down, Colonel," Fraiser said, purposely ignoring what Sam was saying to give them as much privacy as possible. "We'll keep you in there another three minutes, then pull you out for a little while. Hopefully, you'll be able to stay out, but if your temp goes up again, we'll have to put you back."

He didn't complain. He didn't argue. He just closed his eyes and nodded, and avoided looking at either of them.

Janet watched him for a moment, and sighed. There'd be time to fix other hurts later. For now she had to worry about the bigger picture and figure out how to keep him alive.

"I'm going back to the lab, Sam," she said. "If you need me, call."

Carter nodded.

"Two more minutes, guys, then get him out for a while."

The corpsmen nodded. They were watching the clock as carefully as she was, well aware of how dangerous the bath could be.

Sam waited for Janet to leave, then turned her attention back to O'Neill, who still had his eyes closed. The only positive sign was that he hadn't pulled his hand away from hers.

"Jack?"

He opened his eyes and looked over at her.

"I'm sorry..."

"I'm cold," he whispered. There wasn't any petulance in his soft voice, only misery. Which was even harder to deal with. Sam squeezed his hand harder.

"I know... it won't be for long. Janet's sending Teal'c back to PYR-002 to see if he can find something that might help get you better faster."

He nodded, and closed his eyes again.

"Jack..."

"Time to get you out of there, Sir," one of the Corpsmen said. Both of the men crouched down beside the tub and Sam was forced to move so she wouldn't be in their way.

"Is there anything I can do?" She asked.

"You could hand us that blanket when we ask for it."

She reached over and pulled one of the blankets off O'Neill's bed, and stood by. The two men easily lifted Jack out of the water, then dried him carefully and wrapped him in the blanket Sam handed them. They put him back in bed, and Sam sat down on the edge of it, trying to get as close to him as she could to warm him up a little faster. Of course, they didn't want him to warm up too much, or he'd end up back in the tub that much faster.

"Hang in there, Jack," she told him, as the men carried the tub out to refill it with fresh ice in case it was needed. "We're going to get you through this."

He didn't answer. He closed his eyes once more, and shivered, and didn't stop, even when Sam reached for his hand and held it close once more.


	13. 13

_Author's Note: Okay... this chapter is long, and maybe a little boring.... But necessary!_

The planet Teal'c gated to wasn't any different than many of the others he'd been to, both with the members of SG-1 and before, when he'd been First Prime. It was green and temperate, and uninhabited as near as they'd been able to tell. They hadn't been there all that long, though. Only long enough to make an initial contact, and to check for any kind of sign of civilization that might be close to the gate. When they hadn't found any, they'd searched a small radius around the gate, still hadn't found anything or anyone, and had decided to call it a day, and had returned to the SGC. The plan had been to send another group for a slightly longer stay so they could check things even more thoroughly. Now, however, that wasn't going to happen. Not with O'Neill so ill from the short visit they'd made.

Teal'c had a fair idea of where to start looking. He and O'Neill hadn't been together all that much on PYR-002. When they had come through the Stargate, O'Neill had teamed the Jaffa with Samantha Carter – Jack's way of making sure the Major had all the back up she needed while at the same time making sure that he could keep an eye on Daniel – who loved to wander off.

Since the two of them – Teal'c and O'Neill – were the only two to have the splinters, it was safe to assume that they had picked them up at the same time and that meant they'd have to have been in the same place. A place that Daniel Jackson and Major Carter hadn't been. Which left very few choices.

As soon as the gate disengaged behind him, the Jaffa hefted his staff weapon into a better grip, shifted the large pack on his back and headed for the closest of the two places that he and O'Neill had been the only ones to stand.

Looking as quickly as he could, but also thoroughly – and wearing special gloves Doctor Fraiser had provided him, since there was no sense exposing himself any more than necessary – symbiote or not – Teal'c started picking his way through the various undergrowth and bushes that he'd walked through only the morning before. He sort of knew what he was looking for, and it didn't surprise him at all that he found one of the plants almost immediately.

It wasn't a very impressive plant. It was tall and thin, sort of like a tree with odd-shaped leaves. But not odd enough that the plant had stood out from all the ones around it. Which didn't surprise Teal'c at all. He agreed with O'Neill; you've seen one tree or plant, you've seen them all. This one, however, was interesting to Teal'c, _now_. There were the tiny slivers, just like the ones that had been pulled out of O'Neill's wrist and Teal'c's own skin.

He made sure it was the same kind of sliver, although he didn't touch the plant or the splinters. He wasn't there to harvest the splinters; he was there to harvest whatever it was that might be found eating the plants. Teal'c settled back in an out of the way place, and sat quietly. He chafed at the fact that he had to wait, but since he hadn't been lucky enough to come up on something while it was eating the plant right away, he was going to have to wait and see if something eventually showed up. He just hoped it wouldn't take too long.

&&

It was a long, hard day all around. What normally would have been a relaxed day – it was _Saturday_, after all – was tense and trying for all the people who'd remained at the SGC for the duration of Colonel O'Neill's medical emergency. The medical staff were working their tails off, a handful of them searching through every medical textbook and reference book for anything that even looked similar to the illness that had brought Jack down so quickly. Another group working in the lab, carrying what little research they'd come up with on to the next stage with all sorts of tests, each of them hoping to find the one weakness that would break the hold the bacterium had on O'Neill's immune system.

Overseeing all of it was Janet Frasier, who was in the lab most of the day, but also spent a fair amount of time checking on O'Neill every half hour or so, sorting through lab results, test results, blood work results, and keeping track of his health – which was failing at a steady rate.

Sam and Daniel spent the day in Jack's room. Janet had lifted the one visitor only prohibition, and the remaining members of SG-1 maintained a constant vigil. Jack's temperature continued to fluctuate through the day – one minute he'd be so hot they were forced to put him back into the ice bath – something he never complained about, but that took more out of him every time it happened. He'd just close his eyes, and shiver – blocking out everything and everyone as he fought off demons that only he could see.

Then they'd pull him out, bundle him up and put him to bed, watching as his temperature – which always dropped in the ice bath – would slowly, but steadily, rise once more until they had to repeat the ordeal.

While he was in bed, Daniel and Sam hovered close, trying to reassure him that it wouldn't be long, and that Teal'c was probably even then on his way back to the Stargate with something that would help. They told him with words and expressions not to give up, and tried without success to get him to eat or drink. And watched as he grew more and more distant as his health failed the longer the long day wore on.

When he wasn't in the ice bath, and was a little less chilled, Jack tried – he _did_ – but it was getting harder and harder for him to try and reassure his team. The longer the day stretched, the worse he felt. His throat was raw, and he was forced to stop talking – even at a whisper – and the expression in his eyes wasn't reassuring at all, no matter how many times he tried to force a smile. He'd pretty much given up – although he was trying to hide it. He'd never felt so lousy – well, yeah, he had, and as he recalled, he'd been cold then, too. He was almost waiting for the end, so he could stop being cold. Anything would be preferable to being cold as far as he was concerned.

The only problem with that were Sam and Daniel. They weren't leaving him alone for a minute – when one needed a break for something, the other would stay and talk to Jack, making sure – even if he had his eyes closed – that he was still fighting, still staying with them. No matter how much Jack didn't want to.

And so the day went... and it was a rough one.

&&

It was almost twelve hours before Teal'c finally saw something that might be what Janet Fraiser had sent him for. Twelve long hours of sitting still, and watching the small clump of plants, waiting for something to come and eat it. When something finally did, Teal'c had been watching for so long that he'd almost missed it at first.

A small creature, so well camouflaged in the green and brown grasses that surrounded the plants in question, that Teal'c had had to look three times before he decided that, yes, he was seeing something moving over there. He was about twenty feet away, and close enough that he could see the creature rather well once he managed to focus on it. It _was_ small – about the size of a squirrel – and dully colored tan and brown, which was why it'd been so hard to spot. As Teal'c watched, the creature looked around carefully – the mark of a creature that was used to being hunted and not being a hunter – and then it used one arm to pull a plant down to its level, and started eating the leaves. Teal'c noticed that the small slivers on the stems of the plants – the ones that had wreaked such havoc – were in constant contact with the skin of the creature, and they obviously weren't bothering it at all. This was what he'd been looking for.

Deciding that this creature was too big to take back to the SGC – it wasn't all that smart to bring back creatures from other planets anyways, since you never knew what you might be unleashing onto the general populous if the creature were to manage to escape – Teal'c decided that he'd capture the creature and merely take a blood sample. After all, Fraiser had told him the blood was all they'd really need anyways. He couldn't use a drug to put the creature down since that would possibly contaminate the blood sample – so Teal'c had to catch it on the run. Which wasn't as hard as it might have been for someone of the Tau'ri.

The Jaffa's reflexes were good – even after twelve hours of sitting still – and he had been provided with a net that resembled one a butterfly collector might carry. He moved stealthily closer to the creature, getting within range, and simply threw the net at the small animal, tangling it up easily and immobilizing it.

Screeching its protests as the Jaffa unraveled the netting around it, the creature tried many times to bite Teal'c. Teal'c avoided the big teeth easily, and managed to immobilize the creature – despite the way it was wriggling in his hand – long enough to pull out the blood-drawing kit that Fraiser had given him and showed him how to use. He drew blood from it, carefully put the vial into a case to protect it, and then released the creature and watched as it scurried off, still calling back its protests at such rough treatment.

Teal'c put the case into his pack, retrieved his staff weapon and the rest of his supplies, and headed back towards the gate at a jog.


	14. 14

"_Doctor Fraiser to the embarkation room!"_

Janet looked up from her latest blood test results and over to her medical staff. All of them looked beat, and definitely ready for a break – although none had complained, and Janet knew they wouldn't.

"It must be Teal'c," she said. It was the only reason she'd be called to the gate room. There weren't any teams out, after all. "Let's go see if he's found anything."

The others nodded, and everyone who was at a good stopping point set their work down and headed for the door.

Daniel and Sam looked at each other when they heard the page. Jack was once again in the ice bath and Sam wasn't going to leave him, but she wanted to know if Teal'c had found something.

"I'll go see," Daniel said.

Sam nodded, and looked back down at Jack as Daniel left the room. His eyes were closed, and he didn't seem to have noticed that Daniel had gone. Ordinarily, Sam would have known better – Jack always knew what was going on around him, after all – but it was different this Saturday. She wasn't even sure if he knew where _he_ was just then.

"Jack?"

He didn't respond, and she wasn't really surprised.

"Teal'c's back... just hold on, okay?"

He didn't open his eyes, but he did nod, and Sam squeezed his hand as tightly as she dared.

"We're ready to take him out, Major," the medics told her. Sam nodded, gently let go of O'Neill's hand, and moved out of the way. She was good at staying out of their way by now. She reached for the slightly damp blanket they were going to bundle him up in when they had him dried off and waited for them to ask for it. Her eyes went to the door, though, and she watched as many members of the medical staff left the infirmary as well.

&&

"What did you find?"

Teal'c handed Daniel his staff weapon, then reached into his pack and pulled out the vial of blood he'd taken from the small creature.

"I observed a small creature eating one of the plants from the brush that the slivers are on, Doctor Fraiser. It was not eating the slivers, but it was holding them, and did not appear to be adversely affected by them."

That was exactly what Janet had been hoping for. She took the vial from him, holding it carefully. She looked at it, and then handed it over to one of her assistants.

"I want a full spectrum of tests done on this – make sure you keep a sample set aside to use a control – and get me the results immediately." She turned to Teal'c even as the medic left for the lab. "Tell me everything you can think of about the plant, and the creature that was eating it..."

Teal'c nodded, and began telling her and those around her about his trip through the gate as the group headed at a much slower pace towards the infirmary. Daniel wanted to listen in, but since he was already carrying Teal'c's staff weapon, he decided he might as well pick up the discarded pack and take care of the Jaffa's gear for him so he wouldn't have to do it later. He'd be able to ask Teal'c all about the trip – and the creature – later. Right now it was more important that Janet hear what he had to say.

&&

"So it was actually holding the stems that had the splinters?"

"Yes. It's paws – or claws, or whatever they would be referred to as – were undoubtedly pierced by the slivers as it held the stems."

"And it didn't seem to mind?"

"It appeared to be quite comfortable."

"That's promising."

Teal'c nodded. He didn't know how promising it was, but he was willing to go along with Fraiser, since she definitely did.

"I did not bring the creature back to the base, because I-"

"It's the blood that we need, Teal'c," Janet assured him. "This way we don't have to worry about quarantining the creature itself, or worrying about any diseases the creature might be carrying."

That had been Teal'c's own thoughts, but he didn't say anything.

"If we can isolate the antigen in the creature that protects it from the bacterium, then we can test it on Colonel O'Neill's blood," one of the medical technicians who'd been walking with Janet and the rest of the group said. Janet didn't tell him he was stating what everyone already knew; she understood that he was as excited as the rest of them. This could possibly be the breakthrough they needed. If it'd come in time.

"Well done, Teal'c," Janet said. She hesitated at the door of the infirmary, anxious to get to work, but wanting Teal'c to understand how much she appreciated what he'd done.

"Thank you, Doctor Fraiser." The Jaffa said in his deep gravelly voice. "I am going to check in on O'Neill and then go get cleaned up." Sitting in the dirt for twelve hours can get you pretty dirty, even if you're not actually moving around much.

Janet smiled, knowing Teal'c was giving her an excuse to leave him.

"Tell Major Carter we're working on it," she told him, and left him to head back for the lab.

Teal'c waited for her to vanish, and then he walked over to the small room that O'Neill was isolated in. If Major Carter was as worried as Daniel Jackson had looked in the gate room, then Teal'c was certain she could use a little good news.


	15. 15

SG-1 was all gathered in the same room. Sam, Daniel and Teal'c were seated in various positions around O'Neill's bed, and were listening as Teal'c told them about the blood sample he'd brought back, and about the creature he'd taken it from. Jack was asleep – or passed out, Sam wasn't sure. He wasn't in the ice bath, though, so she was able to sit close to him, and even as she listened to Teal'c her hand was idly caressing her CO's hand.

"I didn't see anything like that..." Daniel said, once Teal'c had given them a description of the creature.

"It was very well camouflaged, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said. "I, myself, did not observe the creature the first time we went to the planet." Meaning that if Teal'c hadn't seen it, there was no way Daniel could have.

"Janet thinks this creature can be the key to figuring out what's wrong with the Colonel?" Sam asked.

"It's blood may well be," Teal'c confirmed.

"That's good news..."

"Indeed."

Teal'c excused himself a moment later to go shower, and Daniel and Sam continued their vigil, watching as O'Neill's temperature once more started to rise.

OOOOOOO

"What did you learn from the blood taken from the creature on PYR-002?"

Hammond couldn't stop himself from coming down to the infirmary and asking for a report from Doctor Fraiser. He'd spent the day pretending to be working on his paperwork, and he'd purposely stayed clear of the infirmary, not wanting to distract everyone by having the base commander appearing and breathing down their necks and looking over their shoulders, but now he'd been unable to control himself. Teal'c had been back from the planet for several hours, now, and he had to assume that Janet Fraiser and her medical team had found something – hopefully something _helpful_ – and he wanted some good news.

"The creature's blood is filled with all kinds of crazy antigens, Sir." Janet told him, looking down at yet another paper filled with lab results. She looked exhausted, but this time Hammond didn't send her to get some rest. He'd just come from looking in on Jack, who was failing faster. Fraiser had given him a few days to fight this thing, but it looked to Hammond – who admitted he didn't know everything and could have been wrong – like Jack wasn't going to make it through another night. Janet really didn't have time to rest, and she knew it. So did the people around her. They had stepped up the pace of their tests, working harder and faster, because unlike Hammond – who was guessing – they all _knew_ how little time Jack had. No matter how much they tried to pretend he wasn't all that bad off.

"Good antigens?"

"_Usable_ antigens," Janet said. "Right now we're isolating the one we need by testing each of them separately on the bacterium in Colonel O'Neill's blood. Once we have the one that destroys the bacterium, we'll begin to modify it for our own uses."

"Can't you just inject the whole thing into Colonel O'Neill's bloodstream and let it sort itself out in him?"

She shook her head.

"I wish I could, Sir. But some of these are toxic to humans, and we already know that. If we don't separate them, we could kill the bacterium, but also kill Colonel O'Neill. We have to isolate the one we need – and then modify it so it's not dangerous."

"How long, doctor?"

Janet looked over at the clock on the wall. It was Sunday, now, and she hadn't even realized it was so late.

"I'm not sure, Sir. A few hours. Hopefully less."

It'd be less if he let her get to work, Hammond knew. He nodded.

"I'll let you be so you can get back to work, Doctor. Keep me informed, please. As much as you can, anyways."

"Yes, Sir."

Janet went back into the lab, and Hammond went back to his office. He had briefly considered sending Daniel, Carter and Teal'c off to get some sleep – Daniel and Sam looked as tired as Fraiser had, and Hammond felt – but he didn't. They needed to be with Jack, in case the cure didn't come in time. Hammond knew this, and he understood it. Besides, O'Neill wasn't awake, but the General was sure he knew that they were with him, and he was sure he'd take some small comfort from that. Hammond wasn't going to make Jack be alone if he didn't have to be. He went to his office, and sat down once more at his desk. And waited.

OOOOOOOO

Finding the antigen wasn't so hard. It was easy enough to separate the various components of the blood- Janet and her team had been doing that all weekend with O'Neill's own blood samples, trying to figure out what was wrong with him so it wasn't any more complicated to do it with the creature's blood. The hard part was finding the way to keep the antigens from being lethal to the human body. The creature was from a completely different world, after all. There were no humans on that planet – apparently – and there was, as far as Janet could tell, no human friendly antigens in the creature's blood. Not all of them were fatal, but they weren't compatible, either, and Janet needed to trick them into being compatible before she'd dare to inject them into O'Neill. He was too weak from his illness to be able to fight off another infection caused by an antigen reaction.

She wasn't the doctor she was for nothing, though. And she had been surrounded with one of the finest medical staffs and researching staffs in the world. Between her and the others they'd find the solution, she was certain. It was just a matter of time. She just hoped it was time Jack had.


	16. 16

"We've found it..."

Fraiser looked down at the paper the lab technician handed her, unwilling to agree with the young man until she'd seen it for herself. After looking through the papers for a short minute, though, she allowed herself a nod, and saw him answer it with a relieved and very tired smile.

"Yes... that's the one we're looking for." Janet agreed, turning the page and double-checking the figures. They were the same. "Have Doctor Grent run the test once more, just to make sure." There was always the chance the results were a one-time only thing, so she wanted them run again. Janet Fraiser never took any chances when it came to the health of the people she was responsible for. Especially when the staff was tired and there was always a chance of a mistake being made from lack of sleep.

"Yes, Ma'am."

The technician left, and Janet went to check on Jack.

OOOOOOOOO

He was in bed, with his team settled in chairs around him. Daniel was dozing in one chair, his head tilted at an angle that was destined to give him a crick in his neck when he woke up. Sam was dozing as well, but she was far more comfortable, having curled into a compact ball on the edge of the bed, her own head resting on the pillow next to Jack's. Janet was certain she hadn't actually intended to fall asleep like that – it was a fairly intimate position for her to be caught in – but Carter had been staying close to O'Neill, and Janet had to admit that she had probably been the difference so far. If she wanted to strip down and sleep naked with him, Fraiser wouldn't say no. Of course, Hammond and the rest of the brass probably wouldn't agree with that, but they weren't there, and they didn't see the battle that had been going on between Sam's will for Jack to live and Jack's exhaustion and readiness to give up.

Teal'c looked up when Fraiser quietly entered the room. He wasn't sleeping and wasn't tired. He'd been watching as the others slept, naturally taking the role of silent guardian as he did so often when it came to the members of his team. He was just as worried about O'Neill as the others, but unless you knew him, you'd never know it by looking at him. He hid his emotions extremely well. Janet knew him well enough to know, though. Knew by looking at him, and also by the constant vigil he'd been keeping since he'd returned from PYR-002. Teal'c tended to keep to the background, but now he was right there with the others, just as unwilling to leave O'Neill alone as the others were.

Janet ran her hand gently along Daniel's shoulder as she walked up to the bed. It was a good way to wake him up without startling him, Janet knew. His blue eyes opened and he looked around as he sat more upright, but Fraiser had already moved on to the bed. She rested her hand softly on Carter's shoulder as she looked down at O'Neill.

It was astounding to see the difference only a couple of days had made. Jack's face was flushed from his fever – which was down just then since he'd only been out of the hated ice bath for about twenty minutes – and was haggard and worn from his battle with the illness. Even asleep, he looked exhausted, and Janet wasn't positive she'd be able to wake him if she needed to. She didn't need to, though. Not just then. She would have _liked_ to have him awake, and talking and joking – or even _complaining_ – but she didn't need to wake him to ask how he was feeling. She already knew that answer.

"Janet?"

Sam was watching her sleepily, but there was fear and worry in her eyes.

"I think we have the first antigen about ready to try, Sam," Fraiser said, reaching past Carter and double-checking the lines going into O'Neill's IV to make sure all the moving they were doing hadn't tangled anything. She knew better, though. Her medical staff would never make a mistake like that – no matter how tired they were.

"Have you given it to him, yet?"

"I'm running another test right now. If it comes out with the same results, then we'll try it."

"How long?"

"It won't take long to test, and the results we've seen so far seem to indicate that the antigens attack the bacterium almost immediately – we're just making sure that it won't attack anything else in Colonel O'Neill as well."

Sam nodded; that made sense, even though she hated the wait. She realized then that she was practically cuddled up against Jack, and she sat up a little more, moving away a tad. But not much.

"Will it work?" Daniel asked, rubbing his neck, with a pained look in his expression. Janet had been right about the crick in his neck.

"That's what the tests are for, Daniel," Janet said. "It's looking promising, though."

"Doctor Fraiser?"

They all looked up when the same medical technician knocked on the door, softly. In his hand was another set of papers, which he held up for her. Janet walked over and took them, and everyone in the room – except Jack – watched her as she flipped through the results. Finally she looked up, nodding.

"Let's try it."

The med tech nodded, and left, and Janet swept out of the room after him, telling the occupants that she'd be right back.

"That's probably a good sign," Daniel said, watching as she left.

Sam couldn't help but agree. Janet had certainly looked hopeful. She looked back down at O'Neill, and pressed the back of her hand against his damp, flushed cheek. There wasn't any reaction to her touch, but she wasn't surprised. He hadn't responded to anything she'd done for a long time, now, and only the monitors and the fact that she could see him breathing and feel his heart beating gave her any indication that he was still fighting.

"Let's hope so..."

It was only about ten minutes later when Fraiser returned with a syringe in her hand. Without preamble, she went over to the bed and injected the contents of the syringe into the IV tube that was attached to O'Neill's hand. Then she gave them a small, forced smile.

"Will it work?" Sam asked.

"We'll have to wait and see, Sam."


	17. 17

"It's working..."

Janet had been in constant attendance since injecting her critter derived antidote into Jack O'Neill's IV, and she'd been watching the monitors that were watching O'Neill's health so closely. Only an hour after the injection, his fever began to drop. It wasn't immediate, of course. But since Janet had just about been ready to order Jack back into another ice bath, it was especially relieving to see the temperature level off and then slowly start to go down.

Teal'c, Daniel and Sam had all been there to hear her. They hadn't left the room since she'd given Jack the injection, and as much as she preferred an empty room to let a patient sleep, there was no way she was going to kick any of them out at that time.

"You're sure?" Sam asked, hopefully. She checked the monitor like Janet was, but Sam didn't really know what to look for. All she saw was the same blood pressure, and the same heart rate.

"His temperature is leveling off," Janet said. "That's a good sign. We're not out of the woods, yet, but it's looking good."

"He's going to be okay?" Daniel asked, wanting something a little more positive.

"It's looking good," Janet repeated. "I'll keep a close eye on him for the next few hours, but unless he has a relapse, he should be..." She looked at the others in the room, noting the tired faces and dark circles under their eyes – well, Sam and Daniel's, anyways.

"You three need to go take a break. Get something to eat and take a while to get some rest somewhere else."

"But-"

"If something comes up, I'll come find you." She reverted to the one thing she could always say to clear a room. "He needs a chance to rest, and he's not going to get it with an audience."

"We won't-"

Daniel was just as opposed to leaving as Sam was. Janet interrupted before either of them could get into full swing and really start to argue.

"Go get something to eat, go take some time to yourselves." She told them. "I'll stay with him, and if I need you, I'll have someone come get you."

"Doctor Fraiser, I would prefer to remain in the room."

Great. Teal'c was seldom someone Janet had to argue with, and she was glad for that, because he was more stubborn than anyone – including Jack – when he was in the mood to be.

"I know you would, Teal'c," she said, nodding. "However, I don't want any of you here. Not only because he needs the rest, but because you need the rest as well, or you're all going to be my next set of patients."

Teal'c scowled. He was in perfect health and did not need to rest or eat. He wasn't hungry or tired. But the same way that Janet recognized that Teal'c was quite the stubborn one, Teal'c knew the same was true when it came to the SGC's chief medical officer. He would not win this argument. The infirmary, after all, was her domain and it was her decision to make who stayed and who left. He stood up, still scowling, but accepting her authority to kick him out.

Daniel and Sam both sighed. When Teal'c gave up, they knew they didn't have a chance.

"You'll call if-"

"If anything happens," Janet assured Daniel, ushering them all out the door. "I'll make sure you're the first to know."

"How long do we have to stay away?" Sam asked.

"Until I call you back."

"But-"

"Sam, go. Before I have General Hammond come down and order you to go home and get your sleep there."

_That_ was a serious threat, and Sam knew it. Although Janet was her best friend, there was no doubt that if she needed to, Fraiser would send Sam home to get some sleep. Hammond would do it, too, which meant that Carter wouldn't be able to come back for quite a while – hours. And that was unacceptable.

"I'll be back..."

"But not until you get some rest, and something to eat," Janet said. This time she made sure Sam knew it was an order. Her infirmary, her rules.

"Come on, Sam," Daniel said. "We'll get some coffee..."

"And some sleep," Janet told him; glad Daniel was willing to help her and not argue. She was too tired to really deal with a lot of arguing just then.

Daniel nodded, and the three of them left without further complaints.

OOOOOO

"Sam..."

She was dozing next to him, but her entire focus had been on him for so much of the weekend that she didn't need more than the very soft, hoarse, whisper to bring her out of her restless sleep. Janet abandoned the chair she'd been napping in, and went to Jack's side.

"Colonel..."

She rested her hand on his cheek – which wasn't so flushed, thank God, and O'Neill opened his eyes.

"Doc?"

She smiled, turning on the bedside manner.

"Yeah... how do you feel?"

"Tired... sore... cold..."

"You had us worried, Colonel." She told him, looking over at the monitor once more. His fever had broken completely about an hour before – only a few hours after the rest of his team had left him to get some sleep. Once Janet had been certain he wasn't going to relapse any time soon, she'd cleared out the medical staff from the infirmary, sending all of them to get some much needed rest or food. They'd been working their collective asses off, and they need the break.

"Sorry..."

Janet smiled again, wishing she had a video camera. An apology!

"Just don't let it happen again, okay?"

He nodded.

"Can I have something to drink?"

Fraiser filled a cup with cool water, and helped him drink it. He didn't have the strength to hold the cup in his hand, so she did all the work for him, but he drank it down completely, and held it down. It was a good sign.

"More..."

"Not yet, Colonel." She told him, taking the cup and putting it to the side. "Let's see how well you hold that down first."

"But-"

Janet smiled. He was already starting to feel well enough to argue. Another good sign.

"Trust me, Colonel."

He nodded, closing his eyes. He was too tired to make a big deal out of it, and maybe she was right.

"Where is everyone?"

"Off sleeping." She pulled all the icepacks from around his body – they'd simply been a precaution, and one Fraiser didn't think she'd need anymore – then tucked his blankets warmly around him. "You should start to warm up, now..."

He reached out and caught her hand, opening his eyes and looking up at her with an unreadable expression in his tired, dark eyes.

"No more ice..."

Janet shook her head, squeezing his hand gently.

"No, Jack. No more ice. You're going to be fine. Try to get some rest, okay?"

He nodded, and closed his eyes, but he didn't let go of her hand, and Janet took a long moment, holding his hand and feeling relief run through her. They'd come very close to losing him, and while she didn't feel the same kind of love for Jack O'Neill that she knew Sam Carter did, Janet _did_ love the man.

Almost as if he had been listening in on her thoughts, Jack opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"It was close, huh?"

"Too close." She admitted. She put his hand down and tucked it under the blankets, then pulled them up to his chin, determined that he warm up now that it was safe to allow him to. "If you ever scare me like that again, I'll... do something really bad to you. Something with dull needles and enema bags."

O'Neill managed a tired smile, and he allowed her to fuss over him. Time enough to complain about it – later, when he felt better.

"Thanks, Janet..."

She brushed her fingers against his cheek, and nodded.

"You're welcome. Now go to sleep, okay? I have things to do."

"Yes, ma'am..."

He closed his eyes again, and Janet left him to his rest. She had a worried group of people who needed to be reassured, and a cup of coffee had never sounded better. She walked through her almost deserted infirmary, waving over a single medic and asking him to keep an eye on O'Neill – but not to wake him up. Then she headed out the door. What a weekend.


	18. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

"Hi, Jack."

Jack looked up when Daniel walked through the door of his room in the VIP section of the SGC. He wasn't sick enough to be in the isolation room in the infirmary, had refused to stay in the infirmary itself and wasn't well enough to go home – despite his claims that he was fine and should be allowed to go in and out as he pleased. It was only Tuesday – two days after his fever had finally broken and the critter serum had beaten back the illness that had dropped him so quickly – and Janet wasn't certain enough that Jack was well to allow him out from under the protection of her medical wings just yet. Not after the scare he'd given them.

"What do you want?"

Daniel grinned; Jack had been a sweetheart for all of twenty-four hours before he'd felt well enough to revert back to his usual _grumpy when sick persona_. A persona that Daniel much preferred over the other one. He could handle Jack's temper; he couldn't handle him being truly ill.

"I thought I'd come by and cheer you up."

Jack scowled.

"Yeah? Did Fraiser say I could go home?"

"Nope."

"Did you bring me a get well card?"

"Um... nope." Daniel frowned. "Did you want one?"

"No. I was just curious."

"Ah. Well, I didn't bring you one." He came over and sat down, ignoring Jack's scowl. O'Neill hated healthy people when he was sick. Especially Daniel, who _knew_ how annoying it was to have healthy people around you and tended to come around just because he liked to see the annoyed look on Jack's face.

"Was there something in particular you had in mind, Daniel?" Jack asked, sarcastically.

"Actually, I thought you might like _this_..." Daniel reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a videotape.

"That's not another one of those Egypt documentaries, is it?" Jack asked, suspiciously, not even reaching for the tape.

"I said I was here to cheer you up, Jack." Daniel said, smiling. "Not to figure out a way to keep you from talking to me for the rest of my life..."

Jack couldn't help it; he smiled, too. Daniel was too much of a friend for Jack to grouse at all the time – even when he was going out of his way to annoy him.

"So what is it?"

"That hockey game you were planning on watching last Saturday."

Jack reached for the tape.

"Really?"

"No. I'm lying to you, it's really that documentary on Egypt, and I'm trying to trick you into watching it with me."

"Smart ass." He turned the tape over in his hand, thinking that Daniel had to have recorded it that Saturday, since the game wasn't one that was popular enough to have been replayed on one of the sports channels later that week. What a guy. "Thanks, Daniel."

The archeologist smiled, and settled deeper into his chair.

"So. You going to watch it with me?"

The smile faded. Daniel wasn't much into hockey. About as much as Jack was into documentaries on Egypt.

"Um..."

"Watch what?"

The two of them turned and saw Sam standing at the door.

"Daniel recorded the hockey game for me," Jack told her, holding up the tape. Sam smiled and came over and sat down on the edge of O'Neill's bed.

"And now you want him to watch it with you?"

Jack scowled.

"It's not like I'm asking him to go beat up baby seals, you know..."

"Well... it's not that I don't want to watch it with you, Jack," Daniel said, shrugging. "It's just that I've got a lot of... translations to... um..."

"Translate?"

"Yeah."

Jack scowled, but Sam had to put her hand over her mouth to smother the snort of amusement. Then it was her turn to be the object of the scowl, but she just snorted again – unperturbed.

"_You_ want to watch it with me, Carter?" There was a definite twinkle in his dark eyes, now, because he knew that as much as _Daniel_ didn't like hockey, Sam would rather chop of her arm and beat herself over the head with it than watch the sport.

"Well... I was going to... um..."

"Help me with my translations..." Daniel supplied.

"Yes! _That's_ what I was going to do." She got up, quickly. "We'd better get to that, Daniel. Those things have been waiting for a million years, but they can't wait any longer."

It was a race to see which one of them could reach the door first, and Jack's scowl chased them out of his room. They almost ran over Janet Fraiser, who was walking in to check on him.

"Sorry, Janet."

"Me, too!"

Neither stopped, though, and she looked back over her shoulder at them as she walked over to the bed.

"What was that all about?"

"Daniel brought me the hockey game from last Saturday, and panicked when I asked him to watch it with me."

"And Sam?"

"She's like a lemming; mindlessly following him to certain boredom."

Janet smiled, and pressed her hand lightly against Jack's cool cheek. The fever was gone, and he'd regained most of the strength his illness had taken from him. She'd probably release him the next day – or maybe the day after that.

"Who's playing?"

"Redwings and the Ducks."

Janet reached over and took the tape from him, and walked to the TV/VCR combo that was at the foot of Jack's bed.

"I'll watch it with you, if you don't mind." She told him.

"You?"

Fraiser smiled.

"Why not me?"

Why not, indeed? Jack smiled, and then moved over in his bed, patting the space he made in invitation. It'd be nice to have the company, and even though he hid it, Janet was probably one of his favorite people on the base. He couldn't think of better company.

She smiled and took him up on his silent invitation, plopping down next to him on the bed. Probably he was just feeling cold and wanted someone to cuddle with to warm him up. He got chilled easily the last couple days, after all. She didn't mind. Jack was one of her favorite people.

"What if someone comes in, Colonel," she asked him with a grin as she settled close enough that she could feel his warmth through the blankets.

"Well, after that examination from the other day," Jack said, wryly, "I'm almost surprised I don't have to marry you..."

Janet laughed. She'd never actually gotten around to telling him that she'd never completed that particular exam. And maybe she wouldn't. It was far more entertaining to allow him to think the worst. She took the remote and turned on the TV, still smiling. God he was fun to have around.

The End!

_Author's note: So! A Janet story! I love to do Janet stories, since I don't think she gets enough of them. Thanks to all of you who reviewed and who will review. Let me know what you liked and didn't like... I know I put it up fairly quickly, but I don't think the quality suffered... sometimes I just have the time to write, so I grab it while I can._


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